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Ballerina Solos Sunday at Saratoga

Typically part of Saratoga's Runhappy Travers Super Saturday card, the GI Ballerina H. gets the spotlight all to itself this year as the lone graded event on Sunday's card. It is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint S.

Champion Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) could only manage third behind the fleet-footed Gamine (Into Mischief) in last year's Ballerina, but a victory in the Breeders' Cup more than made up for it. Just like last year, she enters this test off a tour de force in the GII Princess Rooney S. at Gulfstream July 2.

“We're kind of following the same pattern we followed last year. I thought she ran well at Saratoga last year and I'm looking forward to having another crack at it again this year,” the southern California-based conditioner Michael McCarthy said. “She obviously ran into a very good filly in Gamine but she showed up, and I think she's doing just as well this year if not better than she was last year at this time.”

Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) and Obligatory (Curlin) finished one-two in Belmont's GII Bed o'Roses S. last out June 10 and the Grade I-winning duo return here. Bella Sofia's career high came over this track-and-trip last year in the GI Test S. and Obligatory got her Grade I two back in the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat) dominated the GIII Go For Wand H. last year and enters off a front-running score in Churchill's GIII Chicago S. June 25.

Female sprinters also highlight Del Mar's Sunday card with the GIII Rancho Bernardo H. It's topped by Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint runner-up Edgeway (Competitive Edge).

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Leading Ladies Inducted Into Hall of Fame

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – By far, the most enthusiastic applause during the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday morning was for a video clip of race that everyone in the audience likely had seen many times.

Beholder's (Henny Hughes) career-capping victory by a nose over the previously unbeaten champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) in the 2016 GI Breeder's Cup Distaff was nearly as gripping on the big screen at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion as it was live at Santa Anita Park. For sheer drama it ranks with the finish of the 1988 Distaff when Personal Ensign (Private Account) rallied to overtake Goodbye Halo (Halo) and GI Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors (Caro) to complete her career unbeaten.

With a slew of impressive statistics, Beholder and the seven other members of the Class of 2022 joined Personal Ensign in the Hall of Fame, which fittingly is located across Union Ave. from historic Saratoga Race Course. Beholder and Tepin (Bernstein) were elected by Hall of Fame voters in the contemporary division; Hillsdale (Take Away), Royal Heroine (Ire) (Lypheor {GB}) and trainer Oscar White were selected by the Historic Review Committee; three were honored in the Pillar of the Turf category: James Cox Brady, Marshall Cassidy and James Ben Ali Haggin.

This year's event had a smaller crowd than usual, possibly because there were no contemporary trainers or jockeys inducted. All four of the people who received racing's highest honor for their distinguished careers, have been dead for decades. Haggin, a remarkable owner and breeder, who at one time owned 1,500 broodmares, was born 200 years ago.

Beholder, owned by the late B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm and trained by Richard Mandella, completed her brilliant career with a record of 18-6-0 from 26 starts and earnings of $6,156,600. She was a four-time champion, won three Breeders' Cup races and a total of 11 Grade I races. She won at least one Grade I in each of her five seasons on the track.

“It's an amazing and humbling honor for us to see our greatest race-mare, our once-in-a-lifetime horse enshrined next to the many others that came before her,” said Eric Gustavson, Hughes's son-in-law and the president of Spendthrift. “Beholder is already in the Hall of Fame now, so what you're getting feels like I'm lobbying for her to get in.”

Gustavson cited some of the high points of Beholder's career and acknowledged by name the people who worked with her, starting with the breeders, Fred and Nancy Mitchell of Clarkland Farm. He said Mandella, who had to miss the ceremony because he had tested positive for Covid-19, deserved credit for Beholder's success, “for his masterful horsemanship, patience and judgment, and managing Beholder's incredible career. Thank you, Richard.”

“I once heard Richard say, 'I can't get out of the horses what God didn't put in,'” Gustavson said. “Well, thank you God for giving Beholder so much talent. And thank you Richard for getting it all out of her.”

As he began to talk about Hughes, who died in August 2021, Gustavson paused for nine seconds to regain his composure.

“You should be standing here right now instead of me,” Gustavson said. “And while we're sorry, he didn't get to see Beholder win her final honor. We take solace in remembering how much Beholder meant to Wayne. You see, Wayne never got too attached to his race horses. They meant a lot to him, but he just wasn't the type to allow his emotions to come along for the ride. Until Beholder that is. She changed him in that regard. Following Beholder's impressive win against the boys in the 2015 [GI] Pacific Classic, Wayne said 'I've had a few good horses in the past, but she's the first horse that makes me feel lucky to be the owner. I've never had that feeling before. I think it's called pride.'”

Owner Robert Masterson saluted Tepin's Hall of Fame induction at the venue where he purchased her for $140,000 just over a decade ago. She emerged as a champion turf horse as a 4-year-old, winning 11 of her last 15 races, including the G1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, the second of her three victories over males, and won two division titles.

“The one thing about Tepin that I really admired was the more she raced and the more success she had, the greater the following she seemed to get from the people,” Masterson said. “The fans seemed to start to really love her. The first time I recognized it was when she overcame a 13-length deficit to win a Grade II [Hillsborough S.] at Tampa Bay Downs. When she crossed the finish line, there was just as an eruption of applause. It was like a crescendo at the end of a concert that was so good. And when she won up in Woodbine in Canada when she beat the boys in the Grade I [Woodbine Mile S.], we're having the trophy presentation, and we stopped the trophy presentation to recognize the fans who shouted loudly, 'Tepin. Tepin. Tepin.' It was such an appreciation from the Canadian fans.”

He continued, “Then again when she finished second in the Grade I at Santa Anita at the Breeders Cup [2016 Mile], when she was leaving, to go back to the barn, the grandstand started going, 'Tepin. Tepin. Tepin.' I think that was because she finished the last quarter of that Breeders Cup, the fastest quarter ever recorded on the grass at Santa Anita. And the fans really appreciated that even though she came up half a length short.”

Masterson told a story about seeing a family at Saratoga wearing homemade Tepin shirts and said she had a bar named for her at the track after her score at Royal Ascot.

“On behalf of Tepin and myself, I want to thank all the fans who came out and reacted positively to her and loved to watch her race,” Masterson said. “I want to thank Mark Casse and his son Norm for the excellent training job they did on her. I want to thank Julien Leparoux for the rides. I want to thank [David] Greathouse for helping me find her right here at the Fasig-Tipton yearling sale. And I want to thank the Hall of Fame committee for recognizing her accomplishments and voting her into the Hall of Fame. It's such an honor.”

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Seven Wildcards Added To Tattersalls Ascot July Catalogue

A total of seven wildcards have been added to the Tattersalls Ascot July Sale on July 12. Leading the new additions is Resilience (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}) (lot 55), who is a five-time winner from Mill House Racing Ltd. and is rated 85. Lot 89, the 5-year-old gelding Jack The Savage (GB) (Passing Glance {GB}), is also entered on the back of a debut victory in a Worcester bumper on July 4 from Laura Horsfall Racing. The catalogue now boasts 100 lots, with 27 fillies/mares in/out-of-training, 57 colts/geldings in/out-of-training, four point-to-pointers and 12 store horses.

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Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: China Horse Club

With the 2022 breeding season underway, we continue to feature a series of breeders' mating plans. Today we talk to China Horse Club's U.S. Representative Fabricio Buffolo.

CARA MARIE (m, 10, Unbridled's Song — Miss Kilroy, by A. P. Indy) to be bred to Uncle Mo

This mare is a beautiful individual from a European female family that was developed by the late Stonerside operation. They raced her second dam Miss Caerleona (FR) (Caerleon).

This year she goes back to Uncle Mo, which will be the same cross that produced her second foal GIIISW and GISP Girl Daddy. She also has a top-class yearling filly by Uncle Mo, so it's a cross that has been working.

COZZE UP LADY (m, 13, Cozzene — The White Lady, by Johannesburg) to be bred to Charlatan

This is a very nice, straightforward mare. We couldn't have been happier with such a nice comeback to the races this month for her second foal Kimari (Munnings) after selling for $2.7 million last November. Fingers crossed she defends her title in the GI Madison S. at Keeneland this spring.

This mare has a very nice Constitution yearling colt. Cozze Up Lady has proven herself already and now we can try something new. She goes to Charlatan–a horse with plenty of speed that proved to be popular amongst breeders. This cross has a similar characteristic to the cross that produced Kimari, as both Munnings and Charlatan are sons of Speightstown.

EMBELLISH THE LACE (m, 10, Super Saver — Expanse, by Distant View) to be bred to Quality Road

Embellish the Lace is a good-looking mare. You look at her and it's one of those cases where it makes sense that she was a top racehorse, winning a Grade I with just a few starts. She has produced two seven-figure yearlings at the sales, one filly by Tapit called Tap the Faith that won first time out and was fifth in a Grade II as a 2-year-old last year and another filly by Into Mischief that is currently a 2-year-old.

She was already covered by Quality Road this year; it was tried last year but unfortunately, she didn't get pregnant.

MOONLIGHT SKY (m, 9, Sky Mesa — Vargas Girl, by Deputy Minister) to be bred to Curlin

This mare is a stakes-placed half-sister to the great Abel Tasman (Quality Road), who gave so much joy to China Horse Club. We are excited about her, as her first foal Urban (Quality Road) was second in a Grade III already in her 3-year-old campaign. She could be a special mare for sure as the family is live with many updates.

This year she is in foal to Tiz the Law and is going to Curlin. His record with some specific A. P. Indy-line mares is impressive. With A. P. Indy mares, he has had 20% stakes winners to runners, including three Grade I winners. Looking at Bernardini mares, he has had 21 runners and eight stakes winners including five at the graded level. It's worth trying with a Sky Mesa mare as long as both physicals fit together.

YELLOW AGATE (m, 8, Gemologist– Lemon Sorbet, by Lemon Drop Kid) to be bred to Constitution

This mare gave China Horse Club a fantastic thrill by winning the 2016 GI Frizette S. in the red and yellow colors.

She is in foal to Quality Road and will be visiting Constitution this year. Constitution is a sire that has been doing well and should reach new heights with his progeny, having bred fantastic books of mares lately. Tiznow, the sire of Gemologist, has had 11 runners when his daughters crossed with Constitution and the mating has produced GISW Tiz the Law as well as MSW and GISP Never Surprised.

LAST FULL MEASURE (m, 14, Empire Maker — Lazy Slusan, by Slewvescent) to be bred to Quality Road

I think that Last Full Measure is what every breeder aspires to have. She is the daughter of a Grade I winner and she herself is a Grade I winner and producer as the dam of Valiance (Tapit).

This year she is in foal to Constitution. A stoutly-made mare and quite strong overall, she could use some scope and Quality Road seem to be a good fit physically.

SAMBUCA CLASSICA (m, 18 Cat Thief– In Her Glory, by Miswaki) to be bred to Quality Road

This is the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile S. winner and sire Classic Empire. She has produced several other stakes horses in Uptown Twirl (Twirling Candy), Anytime Magic (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Exclamation Point (Concord Point). In partnership with WinStar, we have a full-brother to Classic Empire called Harvard (Pioneerof the Nile) who could be another stakes horse on her resume.

She is currently in foal to Improbable and will be covered this year by Quality Road. Quality Road has had plenty of opportunities with Storm Cat-line broodmare sires and has produced 11 stakes winners. She is a neater type and should benefit from his scope.

IOTAPA (m, 12, Afleet Alex– Concinnous, by El Corredor) to be bred to Not This Time

This mare was quite versatile at the track having won Grade I races over the dirt and synthetic. On the breeding side, she has always produced good-sized foals like herself.

She went to Improbable last year and is close to foaling. This year she is visiting Not This Time, who has had six graded winners so far and five of those are out of Mr. Prospector-line mares.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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